The End and the Beginning
By: Olivia
"He threatens many that hath injured one."-Ben Jonson-"Fall Of Sejanus"
"Forsake not an old friend; for the new is not comparable to him: a new friend is as new wine;
when it is old, thou shalt drink it with pleasure."-Ecclesiastics 9:10
The truth is, I didn't like him at first.
Lennie came onto the crime scene I was investigating all loud mouthed and arrogant. He acted
like he knew it all, like he was better than me or something. His shady reputation preceded him
and he wore it proudly. Granted, he had more seniority over me, he had more experience in
homicide cases, but he still could have used some humility. I knew in two seconds he was
nothing like Max or Phil.
Through the whole case Lennie just kept acting all arrogant and cocky. He cracked a joke about
how his ex-wives thought it was wonderful that he was partnered with me because my last two
partners had been shot. The ex-wives were under the mistaken impression that he was heavily
insured.
I just reigned in my temper until the docs would declare Phil fit for duty and return as my
partner. I nearly lost it when Lennie tried to make himself at home at Phil's desk. Phil being
shot brought back all the painful memories of my first partner Max's death in the line of duty.
At least Phil had survived. Soon Phil would be back in and things would return to the way they
had been before.
But, of course, that was not to be. Phil decided to take that desk job in another precinct. And I
was stuck with Lennie as my new partner. There was no choice. So I helped Lennie start putting
his stuff in Phil's desk-Lennie's new desk.
And somewhere down that road, during cases and investigations, I grew to respect Lennie. I
realized that I had as much to learn from him as from Max and Phil. Maybe he even learned a
thing or two from me. Eventually respect turned to trust. Lennie is a good investigator and a
good friend. He is passionate about bringing killers to justice and has his own code of honor.
Lennie is also very human. He wasn't arrogant or cocky as I had thought at first. What I
mistook for arrogance and cockiness was his defense mechanism. Homicide detectives see
murdered vics practically every day of their lives. Lennie's one-liners are a way of not letting
the vics get too overwhelming. Lennie works hard to bring their killers to justice, but if he
couldn't tell a joke every once in awhile he'd go insane.
If other people won't let Lennie live down his past reputation, if they won't let him live down his
past years as an alcoholic, to hell with them. That was the past. Lennie was my partner for three
and a half years and I know better.
And so here I am. If I hadn't let my Irish temper get the better of me, maybe I wouldn't be here.
But it was bound to happen sooner or later. One can only push the line so far until it breaks and
it often breaks when one least expects it.
Maybe I shouldn't have hit that Councilman, but I can't stand arrogance and bigotry. I can't
stand people who manipulate others. Those things create killers. Max always hated politicians
and I'm beginning to see why. Aren't they supposed to be like us? Aren't they supposed to be
working to serve and protect people?
I don't deserve to be hidden away on Staten Island. I don't deserve to be demoted and disgraced
just due to one little punch in the face to someone who deserved it. But I've seen that practically
every day in my line of work. One act can change your life forever. I can't get past the
inequality of our system though. If I had punched some low-life perp and not some politician, I
would have probably gotten a slap on the wrist and nothing more. But as much as I don't
deserve this, I wouldn't take back that punch.
I will miss the people. I'll miss Lennie, Lieutenant Van Buren, Profacci, and a number of others
at the 2-7. Maybe I'll even miss some of the Counselors.
I'm just another one in the long list of people who've left over the years, some willingly and
others not. The people I started out with at the 2-7 are gone. I am the last of that bunch. Max
was shot dead, Phil took that desk job after he was shot, and Captain Cragen went on to head the
Anti-Corruption Task Force and then head the Special Victims Unit. Even the Counselors had
gone. Paul had left to become a defense attorney and Ben had left after the witness he had forced
into testifying was shot.
I take comfort in that I've always stood up for what was right and that there are still good people
left at the 2-7. They tried to help me, but it was useless. My fate was sealed the moment my fist
connected to his face. Maybe like Lennie we all have our own personal code of honor. At least
all the stand-up people that I've know throughout my career have one. My career, I chuckle to
myself.
I get off the ferry and head to the station house where I am to report for my first day of duty. I
pause just outside the station thinking of my life to come-beat cop on Staten Island-and my life
behind-homicide detective in Manhattan. I hope Lennie is assigned a good partner whom he
trusts and respects. He needs someone to watch his back now that I'm no longer there. But a
small part of me hopes he doesn't like his new partner too much...at first.
By: Olivia
"He threatens many that hath injured one."-Ben Jonson-"Fall Of Sejanus"
"Forsake not an old friend; for the new is not comparable to him: a new friend is as new wine;
when it is old, thou shalt drink it with pleasure."-Ecclesiastics 9:10
The truth is, I didn't like him at first.
Lennie came onto the crime scene I was investigating all loud mouthed and arrogant. He acted
like he knew it all, like he was better than me or something. His shady reputation preceded him
and he wore it proudly. Granted, he had more seniority over me, he had more experience in
homicide cases, but he still could have used some humility. I knew in two seconds he was
nothing like Max or Phil.
Through the whole case Lennie just kept acting all arrogant and cocky. He cracked a joke about
how his ex-wives thought it was wonderful that he was partnered with me because my last two
partners had been shot. The ex-wives were under the mistaken impression that he was heavily
insured.
I just reigned in my temper until the docs would declare Phil fit for duty and return as my
partner. I nearly lost it when Lennie tried to make himself at home at Phil's desk. Phil being
shot brought back all the painful memories of my first partner Max's death in the line of duty.
At least Phil had survived. Soon Phil would be back in and things would return to the way they
had been before.
But, of course, that was not to be. Phil decided to take that desk job in another precinct. And I
was stuck with Lennie as my new partner. There was no choice. So I helped Lennie start putting
his stuff in Phil's desk-Lennie's new desk.
And somewhere down that road, during cases and investigations, I grew to respect Lennie. I
realized that I had as much to learn from him as from Max and Phil. Maybe he even learned a
thing or two from me. Eventually respect turned to trust. Lennie is a good investigator and a
good friend. He is passionate about bringing killers to justice and has his own code of honor.
Lennie is also very human. He wasn't arrogant or cocky as I had thought at first. What I
mistook for arrogance and cockiness was his defense mechanism. Homicide detectives see
murdered vics practically every day of their lives. Lennie's one-liners are a way of not letting
the vics get too overwhelming. Lennie works hard to bring their killers to justice, but if he
couldn't tell a joke every once in awhile he'd go insane.
If other people won't let Lennie live down his past reputation, if they won't let him live down his
past years as an alcoholic, to hell with them. That was the past. Lennie was my partner for three
and a half years and I know better.
And so here I am. If I hadn't let my Irish temper get the better of me, maybe I wouldn't be here.
But it was bound to happen sooner or later. One can only push the line so far until it breaks and
it often breaks when one least expects it.
Maybe I shouldn't have hit that Councilman, but I can't stand arrogance and bigotry. I can't
stand people who manipulate others. Those things create killers. Max always hated politicians
and I'm beginning to see why. Aren't they supposed to be like us? Aren't they supposed to be
working to serve and protect people?
I don't deserve to be hidden away on Staten Island. I don't deserve to be demoted and disgraced
just due to one little punch in the face to someone who deserved it. But I've seen that practically
every day in my line of work. One act can change your life forever. I can't get past the
inequality of our system though. If I had punched some low-life perp and not some politician, I
would have probably gotten a slap on the wrist and nothing more. But as much as I don't
deserve this, I wouldn't take back that punch.
I will miss the people. I'll miss Lennie, Lieutenant Van Buren, Profacci, and a number of others
at the 2-7. Maybe I'll even miss some of the Counselors.
I'm just another one in the long list of people who've left over the years, some willingly and
others not. The people I started out with at the 2-7 are gone. I am the last of that bunch. Max
was shot dead, Phil took that desk job after he was shot, and Captain Cragen went on to head the
Anti-Corruption Task Force and then head the Special Victims Unit. Even the Counselors had
gone. Paul had left to become a defense attorney and Ben had left after the witness he had forced
into testifying was shot.
I take comfort in that I've always stood up for what was right and that there are still good people
left at the 2-7. They tried to help me, but it was useless. My fate was sealed the moment my fist
connected to his face. Maybe like Lennie we all have our own personal code of honor. At least
all the stand-up people that I've know throughout my career have one. My career, I chuckle to
myself.
I get off the ferry and head to the station house where I am to report for my first day of duty. I
pause just outside the station thinking of my life to come-beat cop on Staten Island-and my life
behind-homicide detective in Manhattan. I hope Lennie is assigned a good partner whom he
trusts and respects. He needs someone to watch his back now that I'm no longer there. But a
small part of me hopes he doesn't like his new partner too much...at first.